“Dear Burger King, please end this 10 for $1 chicken nuggets promotion ASAP!” – Sincerely, My dignity and self-control.

I live less than 5 minutes from 3 separate Burger King locations so it’s a dangerous time to find a $5 bill in my pocket!

Geez, imagine if I win that Powerball drawing?  I’ll pull up to the drive through like “Um, yes I’d like 1,600,000,000 nuggets please…and a Diet Coke.”

I didn’t bother the other day, but I may actually buy a ticket for Tuesday’s Powerball drawing.  I’ll probably just get one though, and I’ll let the machine pick the numbers.  Hey, if it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.  I’ve won a few contests and raffles before, but I rarely play the lotto.  I honestly think God wants me to earn my millions, so I doubt I’ll ever win but like they say, “you have to be in it to win it” so I may test my luck next round.

I definitely won’t be purchasing that ticket from the Exxon gas station on Boggs Road in Duluth, GA though!

I was filling my tank the other day and this girl at the next pump was literally screaming into the phone. 

I can’t repeat everything she said here, but whoever the guy was on the other end of that call clearly set her off! 

She was like “You ***censored*** I should kill you right now!  I’ll shoot you with both of my guns!  Both 350’s!  Try me, I dare you!  I’m at Exxon right now!  Exxon on Boggs Road.  Pull up!”

Whoa.

“Wait, what?  Um, no!  That’s a terrible idea.  Do NOT pull up!  …at least for 3 minutes.  Wait until I’m long gone first!”

I’d love to know if he actually showed up, but I definitely wasn’t going to stick around to find out!  Hmm, I’ll have to check the police blotter.

Anyway, welcome back to #DoubleFML FatDarrellPalooza!

Taking Flight

So, I won’t bore you with every minute detail, but for those of you interested in following along with my new position with The Hawks Flight Crew, here are a few recent highlights:

Although more items will be provided throughout the season, I was provided base elements of my uniform including tees, shorts, track pants, jackets, Nike kicks and several accessories including a headband in case my long flowing locks of hair get in my eyes…

Yes I changed both laces in the shoes, just showing you the difference!  I also have a pair of black Hawks laces too!

We also had to choose a nickname and number for our jersey’s.  Unfortunately I couldn’t get “Fat Darrell” approved so I went with the basketball themed “Bankshot…which also works if I hit that Powerball! 

On Wednesday, I was part of the group of Flight Crew and ATL Dancers who visited several inner-city schools and provided them with custom Atlanta Hawks logo basketballs.  That was a lot of fun getting the kids all fired up and screaming “Let’s Go Hawks” – especially since I wasn’t the one responsible for quieting them back down once we left!  I’ve been practicing for that role at my brother’s house for years!

That’s ATL Hawks Dancer Lexi behind me and Alyssa B on the far left…oh, and yes, those are bacon and eggs on my socks.  Hawks ones are coming soon though!

Thursday was the employee sneak preview of the newly renovated State Farm Arena.  The stadium underwent a massive renovation transitioning from Phillips to State Farm Arena.  The construction crew did an amazing job working 24 hours per day. 

Here are a few “before” photos of the stadium from Thursday’s sneak preview tour.  As you can see, they still weren’t quite finished 48 hours before our first event!

I haven’t been officially diagnosed with OCD but I can tell you, that wings photo is driving me insane since it’s not centered properly!

And here’s an “after” photo from our Open House grand opening event on Saturday!

The Open House was also a great time!  All hands were on deck including The Flight Crew, ATL Dancers, Stunt team, Harry the Hawk and The Atlanta Hawks Drumline as seen in this video:

There was also a spa providing free haircuts, Topswing golf demos, food and prize giveaways plus local radio station, V103 broadcasting live from the event! Domonique Wilkins, Grant Hill and Kevin Willis were also signing autographs.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a lot of photos since I was busy working but here’s a shot of the Dominique Wilkins Statue outside of the arena until I can provide you with a pic of him in the flesh!

The Hawks first home game of the season is on Wednesday.  The 3 time Grammy award winning Zac Brown Band, will be performing the national anthem and Future will perform at halftime and again post game! 

Tickets are still available so if you’re in the area, you should definitely drop by, it should be a great time!

Oh yeah, I just realized that I mentioned the new Burger King chicken nuggets earlier but didn’t mention how they taste. 

This won’t be a very long review as I’m making the baseline assumption that you’ve all had a chicken nugget before.  If not, you’re probably not interested in this review anyway, so either way this should be fine.

With that said, remember how back in the day, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets were the gold standard?  They were so flaky and tasty but then they changed them 10 or so years ago and ruined them?  Now they’re more like deep friend crackers.  Dry, flat and overcooked. 

When Burger King first launched their chicken nuggets (they used to have chicken tenders which were awesome but they got rid of those), they copied the newer gross version McDonald’s currently serves.  That was a huge mistake but now that they’ve relaunched them, they taste exactly like the glory days of the OG Mickey D’s McNuggets! 

I had flashbacks of Grimace, The Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese and The Fry Guys as I ate these! 

They’re juicy, tender and filling.  They nailed these!  …and the price is insane!  If their goal was to get the word out so people would try them since they’re only a dollar, it’s working!

After McDonald’s changed their formula and Burger King got rid of the chicken tenders, Wendy’s became my go-to fast food location for chicken nuggets.  They’re still awesome, but Burger King is definitely giving them a run for the money!  These are crunchier than Wendy’s though so I suppose it depends on your mood.

Anyway, these are great and cheap, so you’d better get them before the price goes up!

That reminds me.  Speaking of Wendy’s, they’re now offering their fries for only $1.  All sizes (although that would be pretty dumb to get a small when a large is the same price)!  I swear, these fast food joints are trying to kill my fitness gains with all these $1 promotions!  They appear to be in a bidding war for my waistline! 

Oh yeah, check out what else I spotted while I was at shopping amongst the Walmartians.  Look!

Reese’s and Hershey’s Whipped Cream!  Whoa!  I’ve seen the Reese’s bottle online but had no idea it was real and in stores!  As for Hershey’s, I didn’t know about that one at all so it was a complete surprise!

These taste exactly like you think they would.  The Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate whipped cream is slightly more subtle but both are delicious! 

Looks like date night just got a little more interesting eh?  Whoops, I forgot my mom reads these.  I meant um…dessert night.  Or both if you know what I mean 😉  Sorry Mom!  Look away!

Do you have another food item, restaurant or recipe we should all check out?  Tell us in the comments below!  You can also join our Facebook Foodie Group, Phenomnomnomenal, by clicking here!

Oh yeah, before we move on, here’s the rest of that shirt!

What?  Just because I grew my beard out doesn’t mean I’m any more mature now.  Besides, this shirt is incredible!

That reminds me, my friend Sydnei Bacon (who has one of the greatest last names in the history of mankind) posted the following question on her Facebook timeline:

Sesame Street or Barney?  Wow, that’s a tough call.  Since Sesame Street paved the way for Barney, I’d have to give it the nod here, but both are classics! 

What’s your vote?  Comment below!

So, here’s your quarterly reminder that all the junk you see me taste-testing in these posts are the exception, not the norm.  I workout 6 days per week and eat well most of the time so my goal is not to mislead you into thinking that you can load up on chicken nuggets and fries and have the body of your dreams.

The danger of social media is that we’re constantly comparing ourselves to everyone we see.  Sure it happened back in the day with magazines and television too, but now “everyday” people are constantly bombarding us with perfectly airbrushed and carefully edited pictures too. 

I always try to pull back the curtain and let you know that it’s a lot of hard work to stay in shape and those fun foods are only consumed in moderation. 

Many of the “fitness experts” you see on Instagram have had cosmetic surgery and a team of Photoshop editors to construct their bodies. 

I’ve read countless stories about people getting down on themselves because they don’t have the same cartoon dimension bodies some of these Instagram “influencers” have but some of the people you’re competing with have had butt implants and lipsuction!  You can’t compete with that.

The rest of us dedicate several hours per week strength training, doing cardio and eating well most of time.  There’s no magic pill that will allow you to eat all the junk you want, skip workouts and still have a ripped tight body.

That might be something you can get away with in your teens and twenties but the rest of us have to put in the work.  Life is about balance but you can and will make it happen if you want it bad enough.

My second fitness tip is on the mental side this week.

Whenever I ask my friend how she’s doing, she says “I could be better” literally every single time. 

To her and everyone else who thinks like that, here’s the reality – we ALL could be better.  Life is full of peaks and valleys but if you only focus on the negative, that’s all you’ll ever see.

I’m more of a realist than a blind optimist but I do believe in the power of positive thinking. 

Negative thoughts become addicting.  There’s comfort in feeling defeated because it’s easier to float downstream than to face the challenge, dig deep and swim upstream.

Will times get rough?  Of course they will, but you have to focus on what you want and keep fighting for it.

Over-analyzing and stressing are natural reactions but they’re unproductive and will not solve your problems.  Instead of constantly wondering whether your glass is half empty or half full, just be happy that you have a glass and there’s something in it.   

Do you have a fitness question, accomplishment or goal you’d like to share?  Tell us about it in the comments below!

Oh yeah, speaking of fighting, if you didn’t notice in the group photo earlier, here’s what it looks like when the heavy bag wins!

I had to wrap my bloody knuckles before making those visits to the schools so I didn’t scare the children!  So um yeah, bonus fitness tip:  If you’re boxing, always wrap your hands kids!

Anyway, maestro – cue the music!

Today’s Soundtrack

Chicken Fried – Zac Brown Band

King Back – T.I.

Down with the King – Run-DMC

Pull Up – Cardi B

Turn on the Lights  – Future

Fighter – Christina Aguilera 

Do you have another song that fits today’s themes or that’s just so great we should check it out anyway?  Tell us in the comments below!

Okay, before we go, let’s check out the next round of “Foodie Holidays” that happen between this and next post:

Bologna and Minced Meat?  Things are getting strange I see!  National Beer Day definitely makes sense though during the heart of Oktoberfest.  That reminds me, I should visit Helen again before that’s over.

I should also figure out what I’m doing for Halloween too.  I haven’t even thought of a costume yet…although if you’re a regular here, you’re well aware that I can easily throw something together with all the random items lying around my apartment!

What about you guys?  Are you going to any Halloween parties or dressing up this year?  What’s your costume going to be?

Since Halloween is also my birthday, I’ll have to make time to have my car inspected so I can get it registered before the 31^st.  I don’t know why Georgia insists on ruining birthdays with a tax bill.  They should move it to half birthdays or something instead.

You already know what I’ll be doing on Wednesday with The Hawks home opener.  Again, drop by if you’re in the area!  I was going to say “pull up” but it gave me flashbacks of the Exxon station!  We also have another game on Saturday for those who are interested.

That sums up my current plans for the week.  What about you guys?  Whatever you get into, I hope it’s incredible!

Before you go, please drop a comment below.  I love hearing from you!  Also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more by clicking the logos on the side panel.

Okay, that’s a wrap everyone!  Thanks again for dropping by.  

Until next time my friends, May the Fork be With You…

-Darrell

“I used to think I was indecisive but now I’m not too sure…”